Michael Donlan: Microsoft Seeks to Help Cities Harness Next-Gen Tech

More cities are aiming to become catalysts of economic growth as they adopt technology with the goal of creating to create jobs and building “smart” homes, buildings and infrastructure, Microsoft said at the ongoing Congress of Cities and Exposition in Seattle.

The software company presented case studies under the CityNext project of local government groups using its products with the goal of improving public services, empowering citizens and building more competitive businesses.

“As cities take on a leading role in driving economic expansion and facilitating job creation and civic engagement, technology can facilitate their role in this expanded mission,” said Michael Donlan, vice president of Microsoft’s U.S. state and local government business.

“It is inspiring to showcase what cities are doing to harness the power of technology to accelerate change, innovate and better serve citizens and advance issues of social and economic development,” he added.

Among the highlighted projects was the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania’s use of a case management app based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM to facilitate information exchange.

In California, Microsoft says it is helping make law enforcement agencies transition to the cloud using Microsoft Office 365 as a collaboration and communication tool.

Field building inspectors and in-office managers in Philadelphia used Microsoft Surface Pros in a recent pilot run, reporting efficiency and communication gains.

The company also cited its’ own data-driven software for managing office infrastructure and building systems, a tool the company says others are looking to emulate to manage energy and maintenance costs and to be more environmentally-friendly.

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